OUR LADY'S children's hospital in Crumlin has adequate funds and its budget has increased by 37 per cent since 2005, Health Service Executive chief executive Brendan Drumm said yesterday.
Prof Drumm said the hospital could save more than €6 million without affecting patient services. He was speaking to the Oireachtas Health Committee. Its members had visited the hospital two weeks ago, following threats of ward closures to save money. Several committee members were sceptical of Prof Drumm's analysis and said it did not reflect what parents and hospital staff were telling them.
Prof Drumm rejected claims of a €9 million cut to the hospital's budget and said figures provided by the hospital suggested a year-end shortfall of €100,000.
However, he said the hospital failed to make cuts of €5 million in areas like management and administration, as requested by Government policy. The hospital had "chosen instead to close frontline facilities". Prof Drumm pointed to analysis by Raymonde O'Sullivan, HSE senior director in finance, which found scope for "significant savings". He said the hospital's pay budget was "extremely high" at 74 per cent and overtime payments were large. Some €2.5 million could be saved in that category, he said.
Ms O'Sullivan said the hospital's overtime pay rate for nurses was in excess of the approved rate and was being examined. She said a further €2.2 million could be saved on blood costs, while the hospital could generate €3 million more from private health insurers.
A spokeswoman for the hospital said it would explore these proposals with the HSE. "We look forward to viewing the high-level review undertaken by the HSE of . . . finances and working together on it recommendations," she said.
She said the hospital's "stringent cost containment programme" had included the closure of 25 beds and one theatre, a decision that was not taken lightly.
"OLCHC [ Crumlin] fully recognises its responsibilities in respect of the expenditure of public monies. The hospital will continue to do everything in its power to maximise the benefit of this expenditure for sick children and their families."
The effect of the cuts were highlighted by the case of Jamie Murphy (11) from Kilkenny who travelled to London last week for treatment for scoliosis after failing to get treatment at Crumlin. Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital has postponed her surgery until she has pre-operative treatment at home.
Her mother Emer and aunt Triona O'Brien attended yesterday's meeting and her mother was in tears afterwards as they discussed her condition. Prof Drumm said the hospital had assured him children in need of emergency care were receiving it. Ms O'Brien said this did not explain why Jamie did not have the operation, given the urgency of her case. "It didn't make sense to me at all," she said.
Prof Drumm said 67 patients with scoliosis were waiting for surgery. "We are going to work with the hospital to finalise a plan that will enable this surgery to be completed without delay," he said.
A further 101 patients are on the waiting list, based on an anticipated need for surgery at a later date. Overall, he said 76 procedures had been cancelled this year up to May, due to the unavailability of a bed. "In only two cases was the procedure cancelled due to the unavailability of theatre time." He hoped a closed theatre could be reopened "within the existing budgetary framework".
Committee chairman Seán Ó Fearghaíl said protecting frontline services, especially those for vulnerable children, must be a priority. Parents in the public gallery expressed confusion at the different slants put on the funding crisis by the HSE and the hospital. Karen Bodie, whose son Christian (3) is a cardiac patient, said Prof Drumm was blaming the hospital, but parents did not care who was to blame, they just wanted to get treatment for their children.
